Monthly Archives: August 2013

Sophomore quarterback Will Durchholz threw three scoring passes to lead Memorial to a 19-0 lead over host Jasper last Friday, before the Wildcats roared back to win, 59-29. it marked Jasper’s ninth consecutive victory in the series.
Durchholz finished 15-for-24 for 257 yards and the three scores before leaving with an injury midway through the final period. After the Tigers’ first three scores, he was limited to a modest 76 yards through the air the rest of the game. Junior Jordan Scheessele was 0-for-3 passing as Durchholz’ replacement.

Durchholz’ status is uncertain for Memorial’s game against Belleville (Ill.) West at 7 p.m. Friday at Harrison’s Romain Stadium. The Tigers are 0-1; Belleville West will be playing its opener.

NORTH (1-0) at HENDERSON COUNTY (Ky.) (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday
After so many SIAC quarterbacks graduated, North’s Jesse Millikan could be one of the best newcomers. The former BNL standout threw for 227 yards and one score and ran the option for 74 yards and two other TDs in the Huskies’ 37-20 win over THS. Henderson coach Tony Lewis got a big win over Reitz, his old team, last week. Cols have won the last five in this series.

Prediction: Henderson County 27, North 23

CENTRAL (1-0) at PAOLI (1-0), 7 p.m. Friday
After posting a wild 66-50 win at North Oldham, Ky., Bears are already road-tested. They should be far too fast for Paoli, which has won at least nine games the past five years.

Prediction: Central 41, Paoli 27

PADUCAH (Ky.) TILGHMAN (1-0) at REITZ (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday
Panthers played Tilghman, a perennial Western Kentucky powerhouse two years ago, posting a 28-21 win at Papa John’s in Louisville. Tilghman beat McCracken County 24-23 in its opener while Henderson County ruined Andy Hape’s Reitz debut, 24-21. Call this one a tossup. Reitz is ranked No. 9 in Class 4A.

Prediction: Paducah Tilghman 28, Reitz 24

NEW ALBANY (1-0) at CASTLE (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday
I never dreamed the inexperienced Knights would trail THN 37-0 at halftime last week at Lucas Oil, before falling, 44-14. Will Randell’s first two pass attempts were intercepted. Castle hopes to turn it around against New Albany, a team it shut out the last two years. Knights are ranked No. 10 in Class 5A.

Prediction: Castle 27, New Albany 20

WASHINGTON (0-1) at BOSSE (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday
The Bulldogs won’t be lacking in motivation. They beat Washington 25-19 on the field last year, but had to forfeit because they used an ineligible player and later ended with an 0-10 record. Bosse should have too much speed for Hatchets, who were blanked 21-0 by Boonville.

Prediction: Bosse 42, Washington 29

BELLEVILLE (Ill.) WEST (0-0) vs. MEMORIAL (0-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Romain Stadium
Tigers raced to a 19-0 lead over Jasper at Jasper last week, then fell apart. Belleville West, from the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis, pounded Memorial 35-0 last year at Belleville and lost to the Tigers, 21-19, in 2011 at Bosse Field.

Prediction: Belleville West 28, Memorial 22

UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (0-0) vs. MATER DEI (1-0), 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Reitz Bowl
U City, located just outside the St. Louis city limits, will have to make the 3-hour drive and may never have seen a stadium like the Reitz Bowl before. Nolan Goebel will be running behind a huge MD line. Wildcats are ranked No. 3 in Class 2A.

Following is my Southwest Indiana Top 10 football poll entering the second week, with contributions from C&P sports clerk Chris Johannes.
Although Mount Carmel (Ill.) isn’t an Indiana school, I include the Golden Aces in our poll because they are a member of Indiana’s Big Eight Conference.

In his first game with Harrison High School’s football team, Andrew Finch gained 40 yards rushing on seven carries with no touchdowns in the Warriors’ 28-22 victory over West Vigo last Friday at Romain Stadium in Cory Brunson’s debut as head coach.
Last year, Finch gained 1,252 yards rushing and scored 15 TDs on the ground as a junior for Castle (12-1), before leaving for the East Side of Evansville.
On Friday, he shared running back duties with Kyndrick Hancock, who paced Harrison with 59 yards on nine attempts, including one score. Ryan Hales threw for two touchdowns for the Warriors, who are idle this week.
On the down side, Harrison had difficulty fielding a punt or covering a kickoff. Special teams were a considerable problem in the Brian Lewis era as well.

When Chase Whitler caught six passes for 216 yards – second on North’s single-game list – in the Huskies’ 37-20 victory over visiting Terre Haute South on Friday night, he almost equaled his team-high receiving total from last year in one game.

As a sophomore, Whitler caught 13 passes for a team-high 243 yards, including five touchdowns. He caught a 62-yard scoring pass from Jesse Millikan and ran a reverse for a 12-yard score against THS.

Millikan, who was an honorable mention all-Hoosier Hills Conference selection last year, completed 12 of 15 passes for 227 yards and the score to Whitler. He had one intercepted. Running the option with skill and dexterity, Millikan gained 74 yards rushing on 19 attempts, including two scores.

Former Castle High School record-breaking wide receiver Jon-Marc Anderson has torn his anterior cruciate ligament and will be redshirted his freshman year at Illinois State University.

In 2012, Anderson was second on Castle’s single-season list with 78 receptions, first all-time in yardage (1,323) and tied for first with teammate Cameron Parus with 19 touchdowns. He helped spark the Knights to a 12-1 record, a sectional title and back-to-back undefeated Southern Indiana Athletic Conference championships.

Below are my selections for Week 1. Please feel free to make your own picks.

HENDERSON COUNTY at REITZ, 7 p.m. Friday
It’s ironic that Tony Lewis is making his Colonels’ debut against his former team, Reitz, at the Bowl. Lewis was also a Reitz assistant under Bob Gaddis when current Panthers coach Andy Hape was an all-state offensive lineman. Lewis and Hape insist the talk should center around the players, not themselves. Reitz has won four in a row in this series, but the last two have been close. The Panthers should have a slim edge because it’s at the Bowl.

Prediction: Reitz 28, Henderson County 24

CASTLE vs. TERRE HAUTE NORTH, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lucas Oil, Horseshoe Classic at Indianapolis
This game has extra impact because they could meet again in the revamped Class 5A Sectional 16. Knights are ranked No. 3 in AP’s Class 5A preseason poll while THN is No. 8. Castle lost a ton of talent from last year’s team, but coach Doug Hurt has more than 90 players out and is confident his team is reloading. THN returns two starters on offense and seven on defense from a 6-5 team.

Prediction: Castle 34, Terre Haute North 24

BOSSE at JEFFERSONVILLE, 6:30 p.m. Friday
Bosse returns Carrington Crutcher, one of the finest running backs in the state, but he needs help for the Bulldogs to become more well-rounded. They have struggled in the past on defense and Jeff scored 50 points or more six times last year. Red Devils moved up to Class 6A; Bosse is a 3A school.

Prediction: Jeffersonville 45, Bosse 21

CENTRAL at NORTH OLDHAM, Ky., 20/20 Bowl, 7 p.m. Friday
Like Bosse, Central has an exceptionally talented back in Avion Sullivan, who should get more help from his teammates than Crutcher. Bears only return two starters on defense from a 6-4 team, but coach Andy Owen is confident in their replacements.

Prediction: Central 38, North Oldham 21

WEST VIGO at HARRISON, 6:30 p.m. Friday
Harrison cannot wait for this rematch. Last year, the Warriors routed West Vigo 52-7 on the field, but had to forfeit for using an ineligible player. It also marks the debut of new Harrison coach Cory Brunson, former offensive coordinator at Reitz. Brunson has gotten about 50 guys out, but Warriors will still be a work in progress.

Prediction: Harrison 38, West Vigo 20

MATER DEI at HERITAGE HILLS, 7 p.m. Friday
This used to be one of the better city vs. area matchups, but Mater Dei had begun to dominate the Patriots even before Bob Clayton retired as coach. Wildcats, ranked No. 3 in Class 2A, are seeking their third successive trip to semistate. Heritage Hills quarterback Logan Wilkerson, son of coach Todd Wilkerson, tore his ACL playing basketball last winter and isn’t expected to return until the third or fourth week.

Prediction: Mater Dei 35, Heritage Hills 17

MEMORIAL at JASPER, 6:30 p.m. Friday
Jasper has won eight in a row in this series and it won’t get any easier this time around. Wildcats boast talented quarterback Nolan Ahrens and game-breaking tight end Austin Alles. Memorial needs to build a more well-rounded attack around talented running back McKinley Warren.

Prediction: Jasper 28, Memorial 14

TERRE HAUTE SOUTH at NORTH, 7 p.m. Friday
North has only nine seniors, but has added quarterback Jesse Millikan, son of former Bedford North Lawrence offensive coordinator Tim Millikan, who followed BNL head coach Bret Szabo to North. Call this one a tossup.